Actually, I Am a Member of the Dark Council

"Okay, okay!"

After standing there stunned for a while, the Butterfly Girl finally came to her senses and hurriedly ran to the top of the bathtub, putting her hands on Li Ziran's shoulders.

But her attention was completely focused on the severed arm she had just obtained. She raised her little finger slightly, then her index finger, extremely carefully, as if afraid that if she exerted too much force, all her fingers would break off completely. Finally, she gently raised all five fingers and pinched Li Ziran's shoulder.

"Strength is needed!" Li Ziran shouted, dissatisfied.

The Butterfly Girl was startled and unconsciously increased her strength, but instead of losing her arm as she had imagined, this arm was stronger than her left arm.

"This... I... really... this arm..." She stammered, unable to believe it, unsure of what to say.

The feeling of having arms again was like a rebirth. Now, she couldn't wait to share the good news with her sisters and tell the Mill that from this day forward, she was no longer a cheap woman worth 80 copper coins.

She could even imagine that stepping out of this room would take her to the heart of the Hippo Ancient City, where she could lie on the chests of nobles at night.

But not now. At this moment, she knew that the man she should serve best was the one in front of her, the man who had given her a new life.

Her hands were very light, using her best techniques. She had already made up her mind that she would agree to whatever this man wanted without hesitation.

"Hey, you're daydreaming," Li Ziran pointed out. It's just an arm transplant, is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Who knows what would happen if all the internal organs were replaced with Magic Organ? "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Emily," Emily replied obediently, hoping to show Li Ziran the unique charm of a Butterfly Girl.

"Tell me about Hippo Ancient City. I'll be staying here for a while. Tell me what I need to be careful about?" Li Ziran asked softly.

Now that I've entered this Ancient City slaves, it's time to plan my life.

Demon are a race that Li will inevitably have to deal with, not only the Shadow Society, but also himself. The Endless Abyss possesses resources that are unparalleled on the Red Soil Continent, Li Ziran desires a pair of Demon Eye that would allow him to see through souls completely.

As for the Dark Council, he couldn't let it go either; it was his network of connections that could help him acquire more resources and broaden his horizons.

Of course, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself.

He must adapt to the rules here, ideally own his own clients, and establish his own slave purchasing chain.

Emily didn't answer. Her fingers moved from her shoulder to her neck, and she asked delicately, "Should I answer while I'm standing?"

Li Ziran couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Do as you please?"

Emily was overjoyed. She stepped into the bath, pushing the Fishman in the water aside. She took up most of the bath, and with a flick of her wrists, she floated up in the water like a fish, landing right on Li Ziran's chest.

The sunlight from the Sunstone shone on the pool, creating alluring ripples.

Emily raised her right hand, which had just been successfully transplanted, and gently placed it on Li Ziran's shoulder.

He slowly moved upwards, touching the stubble on Li Ziran's chin, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I think it's better to say it this way."

She had never felt this good before; this feeling was just like when she was a teenager.

"Hey, this woman!" Li Ziran chuckled, not stopping the deliberate teasing. Although this woman had some flaws, it was still good for her to vent.

Of course, Li Ziran was well aware that if he refused now, the woman would likely hold back during the questioning later.

Men and women are such a strange thing.

It's just a matter of a thin veil, but whether it happens or not elicits completely opposite attitudes.

The lights swayed gently, and the pool rippled beautifully. This night, enveloped by the Elemental Tide, was destined to accomplish something special.

Emily lay in the pool, gently splashing the hot water with her hands. She had never felt so happy, or rather, she had never felt her hands were so good.

Am I beautiful?

Li Ziran wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Pretty beautiful!"

"So how much do you think I'm worth?" Emily asked.

"80 copper coins," Li Ziran said with a smile. "I already paid. What, is there a second charge?"

Emily spat. "I mean right now, do you think I'm worth a silver coin?"

Li Ziran shook his head. "It's not worth it for now. If we could slim down your chin, replace all your skin, and increase your height, it should be able to reach this price."

Emily was speechless. All she wanted was a simple "worth it," and this person blurted out such a statement without a hint of humor. However, she quickly caught a crucial piece of information: this person seemed capable of doing it.

No, it's definitely possible. If something as difficult as transplanting an arm or an eye can be done, what's so difficult about making yourself beautiful?

"Li, do you mean, I can become more beautiful?" Emily asked with concern. Her appearance was her business, and the foundation of her existence in this world.

"With me here, you'll be even more beautiful than you imagine. However, materials aren't easy to come by. If you want to become better, just any bunny girl won't do. I need top-tier beauties, like your butterfly clan, Flower Beauty, Moon Elves, and the like, understand?"

Emily nodded, her eyes sparkling as if she were the most beautiful woman in the entire Hippo Ancient City.

"I can definitely do it, Lee. What did you just ask me?" After her naive daydreams, Emily finally got to the topic the man was more interested in. "The Dark Council, North Sea Port, the Inquisition, or the Demon —I know a little about all of them."

Li Ziran's heart skipped a beat. Did the Hippo Ancient City really have so many powerful forces?

"Is there Demon here?"

"Of course, what's so rare about Demon? It's not like we're in the center of the Red Soil Continent. Not only are there demons, but there are quite a few of them. There are quite a few shops run by Demon in Hippo Ancient City," Emily chuckled.

"Doesn't the Alliance Army care?" Li Ziran remembered that not far from Hippo Ancient City was North Sea Port, where the Alliance Army were established after World War II with the aim of preventing the resurgence of Demon.

Leaving aside humans and Elves, even in the East Wasteland, Demon are rarely seen.

"The Alliance Army? Those troops from North Sea Port? Heh, they're a bunch of parasites. To be honest, the Alliance Army are the reason Hippo Ancient City has fallen to its current state." Emily seemed to have no good impression of the Alliance Army, and a hint of resentment even flashed in her eyes. "Li, if I were you, I would stay far away from Hippo Ancient City. This is not the place to make money that you imagine; on the contrary, it's a place of sin. You're an outsider and don't understand the rules here, but once you come in, it won't be so easy to escape."

Li Ziran was puzzled. Emily described it as a den of dragons and tigers, but Sandrew had said that this was where he made his fortune. Could there be a misunderstanding between the two?

"Tell me the details, what happened?"

"You know about the Dark Council, right?" Emily asked first.

Li Ziran nodded. Could it be the Dark Council's doing?

"Actually, North Sea Port has long been under the control of the Dark Council. These rats hide behind the scenes, controlling the entire port, and then using the port's military force to remotely control Hippo Ancient City. Hippo Ancient City is actually the Dark Council's headquarters for selecting members." Emily whispered, "If you hadn't transplanted my arm, I would never have told you this. It's a secret."

Li Ziran couldn't help but laugh. A secret?

He didn't take it seriously; it was probably just some kind of rumor. These people always make wild guesses based on some random information.

In top-level power struggles, there is never only one side.

As the most important military port on the Red Soil Continent, North Sea Port is controlled by multiple races, with the port lord rotating among several major clans. It would be far too frivolous for it to be forcibly controlled by a single force.

She didn't think Emily was lying; the Dark Council should have some influence in North Sea Port, but certainly not enough to control it to this extent.

"You're not lying to me?" Despite knowing that the other party's idea was somewhat absurd, Li Ziran still asked curiously.

"I'm kidding you, Little Doug!" Emily said quickly. "Actually, I'm a member of the Dark Council."

These words startled Li Ziran. He had just arrived in Hippo Ancient City and already encountered someone from his own group. After carefully examining the woman, he became suspicious. Did the Dark Council really have no one left and start recruiting ordinary women like this?

Moreover, given the members' extremely low quality, why didn't he interrogate them or use torture? They confessed voluntarily.

With that kind of attitude, wouldn't he have been arrested by the Inquisition in just two days?

"Don't overthink it. We're not fighting. I belong to the Dark Council's Hive Unit, and my job is to identify people entering Hippo Ancient City for the entire organization. In fact, all the women you saw in the lobby are from the Hive Unit. We have to undergo training before we can do this job."

"Training?" Li Ziran found it increasingly unbelievable, but if a woman like Emily was recruited by the Dark Council, then the Dark Council's influence in Hippo Ancient City would be considerable.

He belongs to the Shadow Society, but it's a secret organization; aside from the Shadow Badge in the Spirit World, he has no other proof of his identity as a Dark Council.

Some people didn't expect the Dark Council to have such a long reach, controlling even the lower-ranking members of Hippo Ancient City; their power is quite considerable.

"By the way, do you know about the Inquisition?" Li Ziran suddenly remembered that the organ teacher Sandrew had given him was imprisoned in the Inquisition.

"Know."

"Do you know about their prison?" Li Ziran asked with even greater concern.

Emily suddenly laughed, "Li, you're dreaming. If I knew, why would I still be hiding here? I would have been promoted long ago. They're very well hidden. Don't even mention the Inquisition or prison; it would be difficult to even see someone from the Inquisition. Li, what do you want with the Inquisition? You're not one of them, are you?"

Li Ziran shook his head. He was a model citizen, but the Fishman girl next to him was also a model citizen.